Sierra Club Threatens to Sue NRG Power Midwest Over Clean Water Act Violations at the Cheswick Coal Plant

SPRINGDALE, PA--  Today, the Sierra Club sent a “notice of intent to sue” letter to NRG Power Midwest alleging serious violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) at the company’s Cheswick coal-fired power plant in Springdale. The plant has been discharging heated wastewater into the Allegheny River at temperatures over nine-times what is currently allowed--potentially affecting the waterway’s local ecosystem and killing aquatic species. 

In the letter, the Sierra Club states that NRG Power has repeatedly violated its water pollution permits that limit the amount of heated wastewater the plant can discharge into the Allegheny River. According to the  permit the facility cannot cause the temperature of the water to increase more than two degrees in any one hour time period. 

However, an NRG Power employee stated in a recent deposition that the coal plant has failed to make any changes to its wastewater process after a 2012 study found that it raised surface temperatures between 13-18 degrees Fahrenheit. In one measurement, the heated thermal plume extended over a mile downstream. In early July, the Sierra Club conducted field sampling in the Allegheny River and confirmed that these violations are still occurring.

Thermal pollution is a serious concern for the river’s ecosystem as warmer water decreases the oxygen levels in the river. Increased water temperatures and increased significant variability in water temperature from power plants has been shown to dramatically affect water species’ ability to reproduce and to cause large fish kills.

Patrick Grenter, Senior Campaign Representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, released the following statement:

“We were shocked but not surprised to hear from the company’s engineer that nothing has been done to mitigate the wastewater problem at Cheswick in the seven years since the problem was first identified. This underscores the company’s total disregard for our environment and the absence of oversight from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. While thermal pollution might not be as visibly destructive as some other pollutants, what’s going on at Cheswick should be a concern for all Pennsylvanians who rely on clean water in the Allegheny for recreation and fishing. The ability of coal power to damage our way of life is all encompassing, and the more we look the more we find.”